Daisy Fleabane

Excerpts from the Sheriff's Report:

7:38 a.m. - Caller reporting a fairly large snapping turtle on their front porch.

9:04 a.m. - Officer with underage male walking down the road with a case of beer.  Officer confiscated the beer.

9:14 a.m. - National Guard requests a check welfare for a male who failed to show up for morning muster.  Deputy spoke with mother of male who stated he pushed his start date back and didn't need to go.

9:20 a.m. - Female reports she gave a check to another person to cash since she is not allowed in most stores.  The person has not returned with the money.  Officer talked with the person who said they sent the check back to the payee as he doesn't know where the female lives and doesn't want any further contact with her.

12:53 p.m. - Caller reporting a vehicle pulled into his driveway, occupants walked around and left two heavy lawn ornaments in front of the door.

1:49 p.m. - Call from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requests a deputy go to the airport and check if an airplane is there.  Follow up call to dispatch from Minn. Air control tower stating they made contact with the pilot and everything is OK.

3:40 p.m. - Officer spoke with female informing her she needed to clean up after herself.  Officers will be checking frequently that she is not littering or creating an issue like laying on sidewalks or disrupting business.  Female stated she is here for her annual summer vacation.  Officer spoke with her about finding a new annual summer vacation spot if she continues the behaviors from last year.  She was informed if she didn't pick up her trash by the end of the officer's shift she would receive her first citation of her vacation.  7:03 a.m. - Officer out with female.  Citation issued for littering. 

5:04 p.m. - Caller reporting 20 cattle on the railroad tracks.  A black bear is hindering them from checking further.  Deputy made contact with cattle owner who states he was out looking for them.

6:17 p.m. - Officer flagged down by a neighbor of address where there is a large amount of full garbage bags piled on the back step.  They had seen rodents and cats getting into the garbage.  Resident of the house stated she is waiting to get paid to remove the garbage.  The officer informed her she could receive a citation if she doesn't remove it soon.

7:15 p.m. - Railroad worker asked if he could sleep in his car just for tonight due to low funds.  Officer cited city ordinance against sleeping in vehicles but will allow for the night due to observing two juveniles in the car.

7:45 p.m. - Walk-in individual to Law Enforcement Center states he had a disagreement with a neighbor and thinks they will retaliate.  Complainant states the male is threatening him saying he is going to hang him and his family.  When asked where the male lives he stated in Florida.  Complainant was told to block this individual from communication.  There's nothing that can be done here as the person lives in Florida.

Hares-foot Clover

No rain today and some sunshine.  Tonight though there is a forecast for severe thunderstorms.  It's been two weeks at least since I mowed the back trails.  I waited as long as I thought I dared (and still come home before sunset) to let things dry out before taking off on Svalidifari to mow what I could.  Some areas were still too wet though - couldn't get to the back 80 paths because the draw was running water.  I didn't cut the path across the north portion of the back hay field because that area was also deep in water.  Turned off the mower as I passed through standing water by the crabapple tree.  Same thing when I turned the corner by the Sugar Maples.  I saw something in the path ahead of me and recognized it as a turtle.  It must have heard me coming because it crossed the path and was back in tall grass by the time I reached it.  Don't know what kind it was - medium size for a snapper but big for a painted.  I went over some hares-foot clover patches.  Was proud of myself for figuring out what it was.  I'd tried looking at various websites for purple flowers; small purple flowers; small purple feathery flowers; small purple feathery flowers in my state; etc.  Came up w/ a lot of the same options.  Thought about it.  I should be able to figure this out.  I gleaned what I had picked up from years of association w/ various Master Gardeners.  I picked a stem and twirled it in fingers.  Not a square stem so not a mint.  The leaves are slender but definitely trifoliate.  Reminded me a bit of clover.  I googled clover and went through all of it's variations before I came across a picture that looked like my flower.  They describe it as 'pink' while I would call it purple but basically the same thing.  As I said I was very proud of myself until I looked out on my blog and found a picture of the same flower that I had posted in 2018 and called "bunny clover" (it's another common name for it).  Must have forgotten I figured out what it was seven years ago.  What's the saying, ";When you start to lose your memory, every day is a new day."

Bird's foot trefoil (and ant)

Last Sunday at church the pastor asked the congregation if anyone had prayer requests.  One man piped up "Ask him to turn the spigot off.  I've got hay to put in."  The Lord has other plans though 'cause as I drove to the library for my volunteer stint it was raining hard.  I arrive at 4 p.m. and the Summer Reading Program starts at 6.  I have a couple of hours to record stats, put away books, pull books, and other tasks before the children arrive and activities begin.   Around 5:00 a woman came in and asked to see the cemetery records.   She explained she was new to the area and wanted to find the grave of her grandfather.  I said that the village has those records. I gave her the village contact information and hours they would be open.  She asked how to get to the cemetery so I told her to go up one block, turn east, go another block, and turn north.  The road would dead-end (so to speak) at the cemetery.  She sat at one of the library's couches and looked out at the pounding rain.  I finished up my immediate tasks, volunteers were busy setting up for the Summer Reading Program, no one was browsing the stacks so I asked Librarian Trevor if I could have 15 minutes off.  He said he'd watch the front desk for me and I went over to the lady and asked if she wanted to ride w/ me to the cemetery so she'd know where it was.  She brightened up and immediately agreed.  Even in a small village it's not the easiest thing to find your way around.  We drove in my car to the cemetery.  I asked the name of her grandfather and drove slowly through just in case we saw the name.  Actually found the gravesite.  Back at the library, I deposited her next to her car in the lot.  Still raining.   Would any children show up for tonight's activities?   They certainly couldn't walk the block to the Historical Society to get the time capsule as planned for tonight.   It had been created in 2000 by children and helpers at the library.   Someone took a bolt cutters, went to the Historical Society, and soon came back w/ the capsule.   Not a huge crowd but the back area was filled w/ people for the opening.  For the event all of the former librarians were invited.   The capsule was filled with notes written by each person about what they  thought they would be doing in the year 2025.  Each note was read aloud and I could hear gales of laughter.  I was busy at the front desk.  Those little kids dropped off a ton of books to check in and put away.  At 7, I didn't announce the library was closing.   People were still talking, eating, and drinking punch.  Some who don't usually visit the library were looking around.   Kids were playing.  I was finishing up putting away books and didn't have anything else to get to.  People eventually started to leave until it was just some of the librarians talking.  I closed up, left one light on where they were and asked them to turn it off when they left.

Arrowwood flowers

 

Woke up earlier than my alarm.  I padded out to the kitchen first.  I'd put frozen bread dough into a pan before I went to sleep last night.  It had risen enough to bake.  I heated up the oven.  Went on into the laundry room.  Forecast is for storms coming in early this afternoon.  I popped in the laundry detergent and started the washing machine filling.  Dressed for the day.  Shoved the bread into the oven, started up a load of clothes, whistled for Whip, and we went out on our constitutional.    Wonderful to have cooler weather again. When we returned still had some time before the bread and wash were done.  Sat down to peruse my electric bills.  I hadn't received any since putting in the solar array and then received two a week apart.   Olson Solar Rep Cody had warned me that the power company would take a few months to start sending me bills.   The first bill was for mid-April thru mid-May and the amount due looked pretty normal for that period of time.  The usual "Your bill is paid through an automated bank payment plan" was printed across the bottom and I hadn't thought any more about it.    The second bill was for mid May to mid-June.  This amount also looked pretty normal.   Reading through it though showed that no money had been taken out of the bank but instead I had a credit for the same amount.  Cool.  If this is how it works should be a simple spread sheet to determine savings vs. cost.  The wash finished so I took that out and hung it on the line.  Birds were chirping.  The bread was also ready to come out and, once on the rack, I brushed the top w/ butter.  Time to start the coffee and fix breakfast.  Life is good.

Oriental Lily

 

I walked out into the living room.  Whip was there looking out the window and giving a low growl.  I turned to the window to see what had her attention.  Took a moment before I saw a deer walking through the belly-high grass of the meadow.  Watched intently for a moment and there it was ... a little snatch of brown behind her.  It came and went.  Did I really see it or just want to see it?  I kept watching until she broke out of the grass onto a mown path and continued down it toward the woods.  Then behind her emerged a fawn.  A few weeks old I'd guess 'cause now that he could see where he was going he had slowed and was curious about his surroundings.   As mom disappeared into the woods, I saw a little flash of white as he flicked his tail and walked after her.  First fawn I've seen this year.

Town Planning Commission meeting tonight.  Chairman Roger is fishing in Canada so I led the meeting.  We had two permits to consider.  They were both fairly straight forward.   Last meeting, I'd been tasked w/ checking on another building that had been put on some property.  It had no fire sign.  Basically, if there is a building of any kind, then that property needs a fire sign so emergency vehicles can find it.  The county manages giving those out and maybe they didn't know about the building.  I'd stopped by the court house and County Zoning Administrator Yvonne knew which place I was talking about immediately.  She laughed that the out-of-town new owners said they didn't know they needed permits.  They had been granted one by the county in December.  She gave me a copy of their county permit which included a note that they needed to contact our town clerk (they had included her name and phone number) for a town building permit.   I looked at the paperwork.  It stated it was only a  'shed' and a box was checked that it was not built for sleeping quarters.   I think there are lots of "sheds" big enough for bunk beds built on hunting land.

Red Baneberry

Mother Nature is having mood swings.  Last week at this time I turned on the heat in the house because it was so cold.  Now I'm turning on the A/C.  It's only needed for a short time in the morning and again before I go to sleep to keep it comfortable in the house.  While there are lots of southern facing windows, this time of year the sun rises quickly and high so it doesn't shine in very far nor for long (unlike in the winter when the low rising sun rays shoot clear through the house.)    So until Mom Nature gets over her hot flash, I've been doing stuff inside.  There are the usual tasks after guests leave:  wash sheets and towels, take out the garbage (it's pickup day so would have done that regardless), and eat leftovers.  Fortunately, these leftovers are excellent even the second time around.  Big Plus for today,  I bought the gift for our next GNO Christmas.  Turned out after reading up on the amendment and it's background, it was easy.  I placed it in a gold colored box on the first shelf inside the door of my closet.  I'm putting it's location in the blog in case, by the time we have our next GNO Christmas, I forget where it's stored.

Haven

Around 6 a.m. the power went off.  We were having a strong rain storm so not sure if lightening hit something or a branch took out a power line.  Earlier in the morning I'd shut all the windows and turned on the air conditioning so the house was pleasant enough.  Neighbor Doug said he had no power but let me know Neighbor Blake did.  Probably meant the outage was contained and would be short.  Friend Kathy and I opted to drive to a restaurant where we could get coffee (and by the way water, breakfast and working bathrooms).  We took our time, however the power still wasn't on when we got back.  Had some time before we planned on picking up Friend Nancy and driving into the Big City.   There were things I could do.  Started up the Roomba and it happily moved around the house sweeping the floor.  I walked out to Sleipnir and got down the trimmer.  I'd charged it's battery earlier in the week so it was ready to go.  I only needed a 'trigger finger.'  Cut down the tall weeds growing in the dog run.  If I'm gone for more than four hours Whip has access to her run and this would make it easier for her to see out and move about in there.  Kathy was sweeping out the workshop when we both heard the subtle but unmistakable 'powering up' tones around us as power was restored.  A sweet sound.

Photo taken by Kathy Novey.

Blackberry Blossoms

I came this close to getting The Vikings as our Christmas topic for next year.  Helped a lot that Friend Nancy really liked the movie How To Train Your Dragon and we all lived in Minnesota.  That subject didn't stick and by the time we went to bed that night our theme was  Words that are mispronounced.  By the time we were sipping coffee the next  morning it had been tweaked  to Words that are misused.  Then we found a list of topics we'd made years before and completely dropped that (we can be a fickle bunch).  Each of us liked a different new theme:  Insect Names, Discoveries by Magellan, and Constitutional Amendments.  We put those three options in the hat and the first one to be pulled out twice won.  It was Constitutional Amendments (not my fav but picking Christmas giving ideas requires a little compromise.)   Friend Kathy read aloud a synopsis of all 27 and around 1/2 we tossed because we couldn't think of anything in them that sounded remotely like a gift.  We put the remaining numbers in a hat and each pulled out one.  Nancy has the 4th amendment.  Kathy the 18th.  I have the 26th.  We agreed that this topic will be our most difficult Christmas gift-giving topic ever.   (Of course, we always say that.)

Thornapple Dam

 We had our GNO (Girls Night Out) Christmas party last night.   I was hosting at my house so I got to open my gift first.  The theme was a holiday in the month you were born.   Friend Nancy (born in December) laid out eight separately wrapped gifts in front of me.  You would have thought I would have picked up on that or that all were wrapped in blue wrapping paper but it wasn't until I opened the first and found gold wrapped chocolate coins that it hit me - Hannukah!  The rest of the gifts had to do with lights and brightness (tealights, flashlight, prism, hanging crystals, lighter) plus a anxiety ball in the form of a sufganiyah.  

I then went to the freezer and gave Friend Kathy a loaf of cranberry walnut bread.  Nope, not enough of a clue of what holiday it represented  (I'm born in August - the one month w/ no holidays).  She opened the box I'd given her and inside were a pair of black socks printed w/ mushrooms, frogs, and other creepy things.  Still no idea on the holiday.  Inside the box was also a Department 57 figurine of a witch flying past the full moon that matched a Halloween house Kathy had bought years ago.  Still no idea.  I'd included a write up of the holiday in the box so she did finally find out it was Lammas Day which the Roman Catholics call 'loaf mass' (hence the loaf of bread) and is the Wiccan Holiday of First Harvest.   (Big thank you to Niece Olivia for suggesting the holiday).   The themes of the statue and socks were Wiccan.  (We are pretty lenient w/ our interpretation of the theme.)  

Nancy opened up a package from Kathy (who is born n March).   There were a bunch of numbers written on the front of the package but Nancy didn't recognize them.  Inside was a ceramic red pie pan.  Looked back at the numbers on the packaging - it was Pi without the beginning "3.".  The holiday she chose was Pi Day!  Included in the package was a matching pie vent in the form of a cute bird.    We are still working on our theme for next year.  Will let you know when it's settled.

Yellow Pond Lily

 

Friend Kathy and I met Friend Nancy at the movies.  We hadn't agreed on a movie so we split up and Nancy went to How to Train Your Dragon and Kathy & I saw the latest Mission Impossible flick.  It seemed the best option of the movies showing.  While I watched all of the TV series (big fan of Peter Graves) maybe I should have watched some of the movies in this franchise because I was lost much of the time though there was a rather good airplane sequence.  After the movie Kathy also said she wasn't able to find logic in it either and had nodded off to sleep at least once.  Back home Kathy and I took a ride in Jormungandr.  Unfortunately, at the second stop Whip found something truly ... 'interesting' to roll in.  We tried to keep her from touching us the rest of the ride.  Back home Whip decided she did not want me hosing off her doggie equivalent of Chanel No 5.  Took some work to get her back to being 'house-worthy'.

View from the Tete-a-tete

Picture by Kathy Novey.

Neighbor Anita arrived to drive me to the clinic this morning.  She was able to leave after check-in and do some shopping around town.  I went downstairs to the hospital section of the building and was given a room.  Nurses came in and out doing different tasks but the only one that got excited was Nurse Laura when she saw the size of the vein in my arm.  "I won't even need a tourniquet to use that monster." she exclaimed.  I was on a cot w/ just a hospital gown on, IV in place, and various other monitors attached when the doc came in and told me there is always the possibility of him puncturing the intestine wall.  He handed me a tablet to sign stating he had warned me and walked out.  Next came the anesthetist.  He called me Barbara.   I corrected the name and he said, "Oh I must have things out of order."  I asked if Barbara was also getting a colonoscopy.  "Yes she is ... but later."  He warned me that there could always be complications when giving anesthesia and handed me a tablet to sign saying he had warned me.  Nurse Laura gave something to me in my IV to make me 'more comfortable'.  Was curious if it would affect my thinking so I started going through the alphabet naming a country that started w/ each letter.  I hadn't done that exercise in awhile so it kept me busy as I was wheeled through doors and into the procedure room.  I'd gotten to 'O' and could not come up w/ a country.  Asked the nurses there but they said they didn't know one either and then ... that's all I remember.  I woke up in my room and recalled I was trying to think of a country whose name began w/ 'O'.  The doc poked his head in and said "No polyps, see you in five years" before taking off.  The discharge nurse removed all of my monitors and said they did find diverticula and I should up the fiber in my diet.  Then I changed back into my clothes and was walked out to a waiting Anita.  On the way home it came to me, "Oman"!

Cotton grass blooming in the Tamarack Swamp

 

Friend Kathy is here and brought dog treats for Whip.  She said they were people grade food and they tasted pretty good.  I asked her to hand me one, which she started to before quickly snatching it back.   We'd both forgotten for a moment that I was on a day-long fast before my colonoscopy on Monday.  No solid food allowed.   Probably would have elicited a laugh from the doc if I'd admitted to cheating with a dog biscuit though.   Anyway, I'd had three cups of black coffee all day until at 6  I started on the dreaded 'prep solution'.  Kathy had a running count down before I needed to begin: 15 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes.  Just before zero, she grabbed something for supper and retreated for the rest of the night to Mjolnir, leaving me to my purge.  10 glasses of the 'solution' and I was done.  Kathy did return sometime later to the front door, picked up Whip, and took her for a constitutional, before putting her back in the house.  She texted me that Whip was now de-peed for the night.  If I'd felt better at that time I would have returned a text stating that I was de-fecated.

White Pine 'candles'

Today was the library's book-bake-and stuff sale.  I go for the stuff (i.e. new-to-you, pre-owned, white elephant, etc.)   I got there within five minus of them opening but already people were checking out.   I found a wonderfully soft gorgeous white w/ yellow markings crocheted throw.  Exactly what I wanted for the back of the sofa this time of year.  The stuff is located at the back of the library so you need to go past the bakery goods to get to the checkout.  Hard thing to do w/o stopping to buy something.  Found  Gluten Free Vegan Shortbread cookies.  I am a sucker for shortbread.  Unfortunately the cookies didn't melt in your mouth like shortbread does.  Plus besides being free of eggs, butter, and grain they were also free of taste.  Well ... you win some, you lose some.

Yellow Legged Millipede

 

Usually I can bundle my errands together and get them done together.  Couldn't today.  First one was very early and down south.  Had to drive through Jump Rope City so stopped and picked up a raspberry cream pie at the Main Street Cafe.  It's a fav of a friend who is coming to visit.  For the second errand I needed to wait until the library opened at 10.  One of the volunteers helping with the Summer Reading Program said next week's activity was planting flowers.  The older children would repot the planters in front of the library. The youngest children would plant flowers in individual pots they could take home.  She wished she had something better than the black plastic pots for them.   I have small clay pots that, while very cute, aren't really useful.  The volunteer was very happy to accept my offer of the little pots.  She was, however, leaving town today and wouldn't be back until next Thursday.  I said I'd leave the pots at the library for her before she left.  Also last night the librarian had noted that he'd used the last of the band aids on a young child's foot and would have to buy more.   I asked if I could just bring in the extra boxes of band aids I seem to have accumulated at home.  Dropped off both the pots and band aids at the library, checked my mailbox, and cashed a check I'd received yesterday.   A final errand was to the much anticipated Clean Sweep.  While it started at noon in the County Seat, I knew from experience that when it opened there would be a long line of cars wanting to get in.  I went at 1:30 and drove straight in w/ no waiting.  I'd contacted the county's recycling guru to see if they would take my electric blanket,   She said the cords definitely would be but not sure about the blanket itself.  I put the cords in the box of broken devices I keep for Clean Sweep events but left the blanket out on top of the box.  They took the box of electronics and the separate bag I had full of remotes.  The blanket itself - nope.  

On the Right-Of-Way

First night of the summer reading program at the library.   The theme this year is "Color Our World" and tonight's activity was to tie-dye t-shirts.  Wouldn't you know it, as I drove into the library for my volunteer stint it started sprinkling.  Coordinator Sarah had considered that possibility and had a small tent set up outside the back door for the actual tie-dying.  However, making the sno-cone treats was moved inside the library and, of course, there were some accidents.  Other years, all of the kids w/ their parents arrived by 5:00 for the start of the activities.  For some reason, this year the program announcement said they could come anytime between 5 and 7 to tie-dye shirts.  (I didn't attend any of the planning meetings - will remember to do that next year.)  The problem with allowing people to come up until 7 is that the  library closes at 7.  As the volunteer for tonight I am responsible for closing the library so couldn't do that until the people working the sno-cone machine and the tie-dying activities had finished, cleaned up, and departed.  Not a big deal since I was busy letting the children coming in late "spin the wheel" for prizes and checking their paperwork.   Plus kids were checking out books, I was shelving books,  and answering questions like "Where are the bandaids?", etc.  Wouldn't mind staying late but I wanted to attend the Town Board Meeting tonight which began at 7 p.m.  I walked into the Town Hall at 7:50 - meeting was over but the board and clerk were still there and they were the ones I wanted to talk with.  Anyway, the first night of summer reading program is over - only 7 more to go.